I can remember having a good time with this film while I was in the theater, but can’t remember much about it even a few days later. Much like the drug Lucy takes, the early high doesn’t last long…
What Works: Luc Besson hasn’t made many good movies over the course of his long career, so I would definitely qualify this as one of this better works, and there’s an energy beneath it that all of his films want but few achieve. I loved the opening sequences of increasing dread and malice, as Lucy (Scarlett Johanssen, holding her own amidst the kinetic chaos) is lured into a deal she knows she shouldn’t go through, spliced with jump cuts of a hungry lion stalking a gazelle on the plains. The movie’s short length makes it easy to sustain that energy and suspense, even as the wild plot begins to lap itself. Still, I’m always complaining that most movies are too safe, and don’t push things far enough. Well, here’s one that goes all out, so I’m grateful.
What Doesn’t: As Lucy begins to gain more and more of a percentage over her brain, she basically becomes Dr. Manhattan from Watchmen. Is this possible? No. At a certain point, it may be hard to focus on the action because you’re rolling your eyes so much. Still, the ideas bubbling beneath the film don’t have to be rock-solid to be intriguing, and while the film is playing it works up a hypnotic spell. Just don’t expect to remember much of it a week later.
What I Would Have Done Differently: Why nitpick? This is one of the only summer blockbusters that’s not a sequel or remake, and you could definitely spend a worse 90 minutes than seeing something so alive it practically jumps off the screen. In a summer of sleepwalkers, this thing is awake.